Sponsored by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Census 2000: American FactFinder Workshop (and more)

Barbara Levergood
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Introduction

This is a hands-on workshop in which you will learn how to find and collect Census 2000 data and how to create maps and thematic maps on the web using some of American FactFinder's basic and more advanced interfaces. We will first cover the basics of Census 2000 geography, questionnaires, and sources for data and maps. (American FactFinder is the U.S. Census Bureau's premier vehicle on the web for Census 2000 data and mapping. It is freely available on the web at http://factfinder.census.gov/.)

On the agenda

Census 2000 Basics

Map Basics

• Exercise 1: How to read a census map
• Exercise 2: How to view a PDF census map
• Exercise 3: How to find out what census geographical areas an address is in -- using Reference Maps

Finding Statistical Data on American FactFinder

• Portals for data
• Exercise 4: How to get data quickly and easily -- using Basic Facts-Tables
• Exercise 5: How to get data using a more powerful portal -- using Detailed Tables
• Exercise 6: How to see what tables are available for a given dataset -- using "See List of All Tables" ... plus, some examples of tables for race

Mapping on American FactFinder

• Portals for maps
• Exercise 7: How to do mapping -- using Reference Maps
• Exercise 8: How to display data on a map using the more powerful portal -- using Thematic Maps

Some Useful Web Pages

Where to go for Help with Census 2000 Data or Maps

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• What is the Census?
• Census 2000 geography
• Census 2000 questionnaires
• Census 2000 Release Schedule

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Exercise 1: How to read a census map

Exercise 2: How to view a PDF census map

Query: "I would like to see (on the computer screen) a PDF map for the census blocks in census tract 49 in Mecklenburg County, NC."

1. Go to the page providing access to Census 2000 Redistricting Data Map Products in PDF format.
2. Click on "Link to Census 2000 Block Map State Folders." Choose North Carolina and then Mecklenburg County.
3. If there is more than one file in the list, then the first one should be an index file and it should end with "000.pdf". Click on that index file ending in "000.pdf".
4. If you are asked: "What do you want to do with this file?", choose "Open it".
5. Adobe Acrobat Reader should be invoked to view the file. Use the zoom tool (it looks like a magnifying glass) to zoom in on the Chapel Hill area. Figure out which other file you need as follows:
   "The county index map will show the county boundaries and the boundaries of any places within the county. It also will have an overlay of a grid of squares. Each square represents the area covered by one of the maps for that county. Using this grid, you can determine which map or maps cover the area of interest. At the center of each grid square you will find a map sheet number. This number is also a part of the file name for the PDF file of the map(s). It is in the last three positions before ".pdf"." For example, PB37119_028.pdf is sheet number 28, shown in grid number 28 for Mecklenburg county, North Carolina. "With this information you can download or view the appropriate maps(s)."
6. There are two potential ways to return to the list of PDF files, depending on how the software is set up. If there is a "Back" button near the top left corner, click on that to return to the list of PDF files. If not, click on "Index of /pl..." at the bottom of the screen to return to the list of PDF files.
7. The problem is that you do not know which file to choose if all you have is a census tract number in Mecklenburg County. Using this method, you would have to go through all of the files to find it. I have done that for you, and can tell you that you need grid 28 for census tract 49. Click on the file for the grid that you decided on. For our exercise, please choose PB37119_028.pdf
8. Again, if you are asked: "What do you want to do with this file?", choose "Open it".
9. You might not know exactly where census tract 49 is. To find it easily using Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on the binoculars. Type in: 49. Click on "Find".

Advanced exercises to try at home

You can also save these PDF files by right-clicking on the link to a file within Netscape or Internet Explorer.

You can also print out these maps (using a printer) or plot them (using a plotter). Printing From the PDF Map Files provides detailed instructions for how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to display and print maps. How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format provides techniques for printing out these maps on the paper of your choice, providing flexible control over map extent, display resolution, and map size.

An example of a subset of a PDF map

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Exercise 3: How to find out what census geographical areas an address is in -- using Reference Maps

Query: "I want to find out what census tract, block group, and block I live in and make a map of that block." Alternatively, find this information about the address for Heatherwood Apartments, 5931 Providence Road, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28226. (Answer: Heatherwood Apartments is in Mecklenburg County, census tract 20.04, block group 3, block 3002.)

1. From American FactFinder choose "Reference Maps". (If you choose "Enter a street address to find Census 2000 data", you will not get the functionality that Reference Maps gives you.)
2. If you get a map of the U.S., choose "Change Selections/Geography" to reset. If not, continue on.
3. Next to "Choose a Selection Method", click on the "Address" radio button. Note: If you do not see the "Address" radio button, next to "Select year and program" choose "Census 2000".
4. Enter the address. Click on "Go".
5. You will get a list of "Geographies Containing" the address. Write down the county name and the census tract, block group, and block numbers.
6. Highlight the line with the block number on it. Click on "Show Map".
7. Look for your street name with associated census tract, block group, and block numbers. If you do not see the street name, try zooming in.
8. Optional: If you want to clean up the map a little, choose "Options/Boundaries". Under "Choose a survey instance and select a group of boundaries", make sure that "Census 2000" and "Census Block Hierarchy" are chosen. Uncheck the "Boundary" and "Label" boxes for "2000 Place" and for "1990 Urbanized Area". Click on the "Title" tab. Give the map a title. Click on "Update".
9. You could then choose "Print/Download".

An example of output

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Portals for Data

For more detail, see also A Guide to American FactFinder Geography and Functionality.

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Exercise 4: How to get data quickly and easily -- using Basic Facts-Tables

Query: "I would like a general profile of levels of education of folks in Charlotte. Since the 2000 Census data are not available yet (as of 11/2001), I can make do with 1990 data."

1. Go to the Census Bureau home page then click on "American FactFinder".
2. From American FactFinder's front page, select the radio button next to "Start with Basic Facts-Tables".
3. Next to "Show me", under the heading "1990 Census Quick Tables (QT)", choose the table "Education and Language Spoken at Home (1990 QT)".
4. Next to "for" choose "a Place".
5. Under "select a state" choose "North Carolina".
6. Under "select a place" choose "Charlotte city". Click on "Go".
7. You should get a table titled "DP-2. Social Characteristics: 1990" showing: urban and rural, school enrollment, educational attainment, residence in 1985, disability, children ever born, veteran status, nativity and place of birth, language spoken at home, and ancestry.
8. You could then print or download.

An example of a partial table from Basic Facts-Tables

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Exercise 5: How to get data using a more powerful portal -- using Detailed Tables

Query: "I need to know which ZCTAs (approximations of ZIP Codes) in the Mecklenburg County area have the highest percentage of homeowners in them so that I can target my advertising there."

1. Go to the Census Bureau home page by clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder". This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
2. From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Data Sets".
3. Click on "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data" and hold your mouse in place.
4. Click on "Detailed Tables".
5. Next to "Select the type of area", choose "5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (or part)".
6. Next to "Select state", choose "North Carolina".
7. Next to "Select 3-digit zip code tabulation area (or part)", choose "282 3-Digit ZCTA".
8. Under "Select one or more geographic areas and click 'Add'", choose "All 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (or part)". Click "Add".
9. If there are any other items in the box to which you just added your block, highlight them and click on "Remove".
10. Click on "Next" or "Show Table".
11. If you get a table with data in it, choose "Change Selections/Table" to reset. If not, continue on.
12. Next to "Search", choose "show all tables". This will give you a list of all the tables available in this dataset via Detailed Tables. To see this long list grouped into more manageable subject lists, choose "by subject" instead.
13. Under "Select a subject and click 'Search'", scroll down until you see "==== Housing Characteristics ===="; within that category, highlight "Tenure (Owner/Renter Occupied Units)". Click on "Search".
14. Under "Select one or more tables and click 'Add'", highlight "H4. Tenure (Occupied Housing Units)". Click on "Add".
15. If there are any unwanted items in the box, highlight them and click on "Remove".
16. Click on "Show Table".
17. You should get a table showing the total number of occupied housing units, the number of owner occupied housing, and the number of renter occupied housing units for each ZCTA.
18. Let's say that you now were interested in finding out what other data you could get relating to tenure. You can add to your tables by choosing "Change Selections" then "Tables". Next to "Search", we have already seen that you can search by subject or you can pick from a list of all the available tables. Instead, click on the radio button next to "by keyword".
19. Under "Enter a keyword and click 'Search'", type tenure. Click on "Search".
20. Under "Select one or more tables and click 'Add'", scroll through the list of tables providing data relating to tenure. Highlight a table that interests you. Then click on "Data Information". This will give you a table without the data that will help you to decide if you want this table or not. If you want it, choose "Add" to add it to the list of tables you want to collect, and click on "Show Table".
21. For those of you who need FIPS codes and other geographic identifiers, you can get them by choosing "Options" and "Show Geographic Identifiers".

An example of a partial table from Detailed Tables

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Exercise 6: How to see what tables are available for a given dataset -- using "See List of All Tables" ... plus, some examples of tables for race

Query: "I would like to see what tables are available from Census 2000 in American FactFinder because I want to find out what my choices are for getting data on race for North Carolina counties."

1. Go to the Census Bureau home page by clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder". This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
2. From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Data Sets".
3. Click on "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data" and hold your mouse in place.
4. Click on "See list of all tables".
5. You may need to scroll to the right to be able to scroll down to see the rest of the tables in the list. These are the types of tables available:
• DP - Demographic profiles
• QT - Quick tables
• GCT - Geographic comparison tables
• P - Population tables
• H - Housing tables
• PCT - Population tables down to census tract level
6. Click on "Data Information" to get a table without the data that will help you to decide if you want this table or not. Close the Data Information window by clicking on the "x" in the top right corner of that window.
7. If you want to actually get the data, click on "Next" to continue.
8. Some tables for race. (Note: these web pages have been slightly modified from those output by American FactFinder.)
• Table P3 (available also from Detailed Tables) shows data for each of the 63 mutually exclusive and exhaustive racial categories. The total of these 63 categories should equal the total population.
• Table P7 (available also from Detailed Tables) shows data for 7 mutually exclusive and exhaustive racial categories. The total of these 7 categories should equal the total population. The statistics in the 6 race alone categories constitute the minimum for persons who are of that race. For example, the statistic in the category "Black or African American alone" would be the minimum number for persons who are Black/African American.
• Table P9 (available also from Detailed Tables) shows data for "total races tallied", i.e. the 6 categories of race alone or in combination with one or more other races. The total of these 6 categories may be larger than the total population because some people may have reported that they are of more than one race and thus would have been included in more than one category in the table. The statistics in such a category constitutes the maximum for persons who are of that race. For example the statistic in the category "Black or African American alone or in combination with one or more other races" would be the maximum number for persons who are Black/African American.
• Table QT-P5 (available also from Quick Tables) is especially convenient, since, in one table, it provides data for each race, showing both (1) race alone (the lower range) and (2) race alone or in combination with one or more other races (the upper range).

An example of some choices from List of All Tables

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Portals for Maps

For more details, see also A Guide to American FactFinder Geography and Functionality.

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Exercise 7: How to do mapping -- using Reference Maps

Query: "Now that I have data for the ZCTAs in Mecklenburg County, I need to know where those ZCTAs are."

1. Go to the Census Bureau home page by clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder". This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
2. From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Reference Maps".
3. If you get a map of the U.S., choose "Change Selections/Geography" to reset. If not, continue on.
4. Next to "Select year and program", make sure that "Census 2000" is selected.
5. Next to "Select the type of area", choose "5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area". (You may have to scroll down to see this option.)
6. Next to "Select 3-digit zip code tabulation area (or part)", choose "282 3-Digit ZCTA".
7. Next to "Select a geographic area and click on 'Show Map'", choose a ZCTA. Click on "Show Map".
8. You may get a map that does not show the ZCTA boundaries. To fix the map and reduce clutter, choose "Options/Boundaries". Under "Choose a survey instance and select a group of boundaries", choose "Census 2000" from the drop down menu and click on the radio button next to "ZIP Code Tabulation Areas". Uncheck the boxes in the "Boundary" and "Label" columns for "2000 County Subdivision", "1990 Urbanized Area", and "2000 3-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area". Click on the "Features" tab. Uncheck the boxes in the "Feature" and "Label" columns for "Street" and "Stream, Waterbody". You can also customize the title if desired. Click on "Update" when done.
9. If desired, click on the "6" on the zoom bar to the right of the map to zoom out to see Mecklenburg County.
10. You could then choose "Print/Download". If you want to download the map, please note that you must download the legend separately.

An example of a map and legend from Reference Maps

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Exercise 8: How to display data on a map using the more powerful portal -- using Thematic Maps

Query: "I would like to see which areas of Mecklenburg County have the most Hispanics. It would be great if I could see that by block group."

1. Go to the Census Bureau home page by clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder". This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
2. From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Thematic Maps".
3. Choose "Change Selections/Dataset".
4. Under "Select a data set and click 'OK'", highlight "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF1) 100-percent Data". Click "OK".
5. Next to "Select the type of area", choose "County". (Eventually this choice will allow us to display the data by block group.) Next to "Select state", choose "North Carolina". Next to "Select county", choose "Mecklenburg County". Click on "Next".
6. If you get a map with data on it, choose "Change Selections/Theme" to reset. If not, continue on.
7. Under "Select a subject and click 'Search'", choose "Hispanic or Latino (Including Types of Hispanics)" and click on "Search".
8. Under "Select a theme and click 'Show Map'", choose "Persons Who Are Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2000" and click on "Next" or "Show Map".
9. Next to "Mecklenburg County, North Carolina by" choose "Block Group".
10. You can customize your map. Click on "Options/Data classes". Change the "Number of classes", the "Color scheme", and/or the "Classing method". Click on the "Features" tab and uncheck the "Feature" and "Label" boxes for "Stream, Waterbody". You can also customize the title if you wish. Click on "Update" when you are done. Note: the streets and street names may not be visible until you zoom in further.
11. You could now Print/Download the map. The legend must be downloaded separately.

An example of a map and legend from Thematic Maps

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General

Census Bureau home page

Product Overview and Schedule

• Census 2000 Data Products; Census 2000 Release Schedule, including a short description of products and projected release dates

My census website: A Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000 census data.

• Selected Sources of 2000 Census Data, links to a variety of sources for data
• 2000 Census Geography, hierarchy of Census 2000 geographies and links to more information about them
• Census Maps and TIGER/Line Data, links to maps for download and information about census maps
• Census Documentation, Guides, and History

American FactFinder

American FactFinder, the Census Bureau's primary vehicle for the dissemination of Census 2000 data and maps on the Internet

A Guide to American FactFinder Geography and Functionality, a description of the functionality of the portals for data and maps in American FactFinder

Data

Selected Sources of 2000 Census Data, links to a variety of sources for data

Maps

Census Maps and TIGER/Line Data, links to maps for download and information about census maps

Census Maps and Related Product Titles, maps for sale or download

Census 2000 Redistricting Data Map Products, links to PDF map files for download, organized by state and county

Printing From the PDF Map Files provides detailed instructions for how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to display and print maps. How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format provides techniques for printing out these maps on the paper of your choice, providing flexible control over map extent, display resolution, and map size.

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In Mecklenburg County

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Reference Desk
310 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-336-2725
Or one of the PLCMC branches
Ask a Librarian: http://www.plcmc.lib.nc.us/sharedPages/askLib.asp

Charlotte Regional Office of the U.S. Census Bureau
901 Center Park Drive, Suite 106
Charlotte, NC 28217-2935
704-344-6142
http://www.census.gov/rocha/www/

Research Data Services
J. Murrey Atkins Library
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, N.C. 28223-0001
704-687-2241
Offers census map plotting services. See website for details. http://libweb.uncc.edu/rds/census_plot.htm

Elsewhere in North Carolina

State Library of North Carolina
109 E. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC
919-733-3270
http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ncslhome.htm
Offers map plotting services. See website for details. http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/iss/censusmaps.htm.

North Carolina State Data Center
20321 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0321
919-733-4131
http://sdc.state.nc.us/

Davis Library, Reference Desk
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-962-1151
http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/howhelp.html

Elsewhere

U.S. Census Bureau
Offers data and maps for download and for sale. See website for details. http://www.census.gov/

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My census website:A Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000 census data.